Never did I think I would hear an audience cheer with genuine glee at the cooking of a vegetarian sausage and smattering of baked beans. But they rightly did so for the guys of Foxdog Studios at the end of their award-winning comedy show Robot Chef.
Foxdog Studios are a comedy tech duo with mighty impressive musical skills to boot. Pete and Lloyd's dead-pan delivery and ability to merge tech and theatre in a hilarious way are something I haven't encountered before. Catching a gig of theirs at the Lowry Salford Studio this evening I was surprised when the action began with the audience being told to take out their phones and connect to Foxdog's wifi.
Once signed in we were given the chance to design an avatar that allowed us to join in 8 bit games in real time via a screen on the stage. The winners of games were then given the chance to operate the on-stage robot through augmented reality, their avatars operated buttons that controlled the robot and cooked the sausage and beans. All the while Pete and Lloyd make the tech magic happen while accompanying the games with guitars and synthetic music that made for the most exciting immersive gaming experience.
The pacing of the comedy and delivery of patter by Pete and Lloyd had the audience captivated, their ability to humour the crowd and excite them with competitive games was delightful to be part of. The sense of shared experience amongst the audience was very powerful. The whole audience worked together in operating the robot chef and the climax of the show an audience member eating the cooked meal was a pleasing closing.
Wonderfully fresh innovative comedy, impressive live music and robots. I can't wait to see more of Foxdog Studios, they're entirely delightful.
Reviewer - Kerry Ely
on - 21/3/19
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